This new poinsettia cultivar originated as a bicolored pink on white bracted sport of `Peterstar` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,259) in my greenhouse in Skibby, Denmark in 1991. It was induced through irradiation of vegetative plants with 2500 rads of gamma radiation, and was selected from about 200 mutants so produced, because of it bicolored pink on white bracts, large flowers, strong stems, self-branching, and dark green leaves, traits which help distinguish it from other poinsettia cultivars, and seemed to make it a desirable plant for commercial greenhouse production. `Peterstar Marble` differed from its parent `Peterstar` in having bicolored pink on white bracts as compared to the bright red bracts of `Peterstar`. `Peterstar Marble` resembles poinsettia `13-86`. (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,249) but differs in color, growth habit and flowering response. The pink color of the flower bracts is brighter and the relative area of pink color on each bract is larger for `Peterstar Marble` than for `13-86 `.
The foliage and bract colors and the flowering response of `Peterstar Marble` are distinctly different from known poinsettias of similar derivation. The leaf color of `Peterstar Marble` is darker than `Fispue` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,315) and more yellow green in color than `Fispla` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,316). The pink bract color of `Peterstar Marble` is brighter and the flower response time is shorter than either `Fispue` or `Fispla`.
After selection, `Peterstar Marble` was vegetatively reproduced from stem cuttings for test purposes in Encinitas, Calif. By subjecting clones of this plant to successive generations of vegetative propagations, it was demonstrated that the distinctive characteristics of `Peterstar Marble` held true from generation to generation. Grown under the same greenhouse environment, `Peterstar Marble` had the same growth habit and flowering response time as the parent plant `Peterstar`.